


skills-based auction

by their_dark_materials



Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: And very little Seb, Briefest mention of Rebecca, But so much unexpected flirting, Canon Compliant, Daddy!Robert Sugden, Deleted Scenes, Flirting, M/M, Post-Canon, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Vulnerable Robert Sugden
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 20:16:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13488948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/their_dark_materials/pseuds/their_dark_materials
Summary: He’s dating someone else and he knows this is wrong, but right now it feels like they’re both careening towards something and Aaron isn’t sure what, but by all means, he intends to find out — if anything just to allay the many, many flutters of excitement running through his gut.Or, a deleted Robron scene set during the skills-based auction, outside the pub.





	skills-based auction

“What you doin’ outside? You’ll catch a chill if you don’t watch out.”

Robert looks up to see Aaron walk towards him, hands crammed into the pockets of yet another black hoodie while he himself is sporting several layers topped off by a big puffy black jacket. He’s seated at one of the tables outside the Woolpack, Seb all bundled up and secured in the baby carrier placed on the table in front of him.

“Some sort of ‘skills-based auction’ going on,” he explains, putting down his glass of juice beside the carrier. “Didn’t quite feel like it.”

“Forgot that was today,” Aaron says, scrunching up his brow. “Mum’s supposed to be biddin’ in one of Paddy’s pet makeovers or somethin’ or another.”

“But you don’t even _have_ a pet,” Robert points out, clearly amused.

“Yeah, try tellin’ that to them,” Aaron comes to a stop just before the edge of the bench, leaving at least less than half a foot between him and the older man. “So how was the funeral?”

“It was fine,” he answers with a shrug. “Harriet said a few nice words, Lachlan had a hard time speaking, just your usual funeral.”

There’s a bitterness to his last couple of words. Aaron picks up on it. “And how are _you_ doin’?”

Robert turns towards Seb, his hand reaching out to hold his son’s tiny hand. “It’s hard to believe they’re gone. They were part of my life for so long. Now Seb’s never gonna know his aunt or his grandad.”

He pauses as he runs a finger across the napping infant’s knuckles. “He might never even know his own mother.”

Aaron frowns. “I thought there was some sort of improvement this week?”

He remembers Belle and Lachlan arriving at Wishing Well, while they were all gathered and giving Lisa an update, having been at the hospital when Robert had reported Rebecca’s twitch. He’d thought about texting the older man, but had refrained in the moment, not wanting to add to his stress.

“Yeah… But the doctors don’t think it was a real sign of improvement,” Robert is saying. He sighs. “You know, he smiled today, at _me_.”

Aaron’s heart swells at the smallness in Robert’s voice at the last part. Like he can’t believe that his son could possibly find _him_ something to smile at. Sometimes he just wants to shake the older man until he gets it through his thick skull that he is more than deserving of love.

“Sure it’s not just because he _farted_?” Aaron jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood _and_ keep his ex-husband from going down a doubt spiral that would end with him both questioning his abilities as a father and blame himself for the accident. “I know letting go of bad gas always makes _me_ smile.”

Robert lets out a chuckle at that. “Don’t remind me. There isn’t enough air freshener in the world for one of _your_ trumps.”

They both laugh at that, and Aaron can see his joke worked because Robert’s face is a lot lighter when he says, “No. It was definitely for me. I’d just finished changin’ him and I was coming back to pick him up and he looked at me, and he just… He just _smiled_. Like he knew who I was!”

“Well, he’s got good taste then, hasn’t he?”

He doesn’t mean for his voice to come off _just_ shy of flirty but it does, and he can see that it affects Robert — even if he does his absolute best not to show it (slightly pink cheeks, swallowing visibly and unconsciously licking his lips, his eyes flicking to Aaron’s lips as he does so).

But then the older man clears his throat. “Surprised not to see you recruited for the cause. TA for Leo’s school? Thought Paddy and Marlon would have had you down for somethin’.”

“Rhona tried to get me to sign up for it,” Aaron’s voice is gruffer than intended, his own attempt to cover up the effect Robert’s response had on him. “Somethin’ about everyone havin’ a need for a good mechanic.”

“Everybody does need a good mechanic,” Robert agrees, looking Aaron in the eyes again. The younger man feels his heartbeat start to speed up in anticipation of his ex-husband’s next words. “Maybe I should have signed up and offered _my_ services.”

He flashes him a cheeky grin at that and Aaron finds himself letting out a surprised laugh, having not at all expected the blonde to go there.

“Is that why you used to call  _me_ anytime you needed the car fixed, instead of just doin’ it yourself?” Aaron questions, a twinkle in his eyes.

“Why get my hands dirty when I could get someone else to do it for me?” Robert quips back, his smile turning smug.

The words “ _dirty little grease monkey_ ” all but float between them.

“Surprised you’re not in _there_ bidding on someone right now,” Aaron comments. “Sure you don’t need someone to feed you? What with you keepin’ your hands clean and all.”

“Maybe if there was someone worth bidding on,” Robert says, bringing his glass up to his lips to take a sip. He doesn’t break eye contact once. “Besides, why wouldn’t someone want to bid on _me_?”

His tone is full of feigned offense, but his eyes are glittering with a challenge. Aaron feels a shiver go up his neck. They haven’t bantered like this in… _ages_.

“Depends on what you had to offer,” Aaron responds, placing a real emphasis on his last word. Robert’s eyes flick down to his lips again.

“What would people want me to offer?”

He’s dating someone else and he _knows_  this is wrong, but right now it feels like they’re both careening towards _something_ and Aaron isn’t sure what, but by all means, he intends to find out — if anything just to allay the many, many flutters of excitement running through his gut.

“You’re good with numbers…” Aaron says slowly. “Maybe you could help them with their accounts? You know, balance some spreadsheets…”

Robert shakes his head like he’s considering it. “And what if I _wanted_ to get my hands dirty… For once.”

And now _Aaron’s_ the one left with a dry mouth and eyes that can’t stay off Robert’s lips.

He thinks of Robert’s hands on his belt tugging him towards him, then flying to his back as they hold him in place while the older man kisses him thoroughly; of them soaping his back as he stands in the shower, fingers moving over the same place that the blonde’s lips had been trailing kisses just a few minutes ago; of them gently rubbing _Vicks_ on his chest when he’s laid back in bed with the flu, fingers seemingly taking their own sweet time as they move back and forth under the t-shirt Robert lets him keep on because he’s both too cold and too sensitive.

He’s about to answer — or at least _attempt_ to answer — when Seb saves him the trouble of having to do so, a telltale noise _and_ smell emanating from the sleeping baby.

The surprise of it all nearly makes Aaron giddy, causing him to almost let out a laugh. But he restrains himself, managing instead to tease Robert with an, “Looks like you’ll get to get your hands dirty after all.”

He pairs it with an innocent smile. Because the moment may be gone now, but some of that tension still remains and he doesn’t think he knows how to come down from it. At least not right now when Robert Sugden is fussing over a baby and _still_ managing to look the most attractive he’s ever been.

“I better take him back,” Robert says, his eyes on Aaron’s face for what feels like a whole minute before standing up and gathering up his things.

Aaron takes a step back to give him room. But Robert manages to back into his space as he turns around while picking up Seb’s carrier, and suddenly they’re flush against each other for the first time in what feels like forever and Aaron’s have flown out to catch Robert by the waist (and thereby steady him). They stand there for a minute, both too stunned to do anything but breathe and stare into each other’s eyes. It takes everything in the younger man’s power to not give into his sudden and unexpected desire to pull his ex-husband to him and kiss him.

“See you later,” Robert whispers, eyes locked onto Aaron’s, almost too afraid to venture anywhere else.

“Yeah,” Aaron replies, just as softly, his breath just as shallow. “Later.”

And then Robert takes a step back and he’s walking away, taking with him all the heat they’d managed to generate in those few seconds.

As he watches him walk away, Aaron feels his heart rate cool down, while a thrum of excitement makes its way through him. Yes, he’s with Alex, and yes, he and Robert have _both_ agreed to just be friends — and for the past few weeks, they’ve been keeping their word — but it feels like maybe they’ve turned a page and entered a new chapter of their relationship; one that isn’t guided by second thoughts and extrapersonal space and withheld words; one that feels more like them.

When he joins Chas behind the bar she asks him where he’s been.

He smiles and simply answers, “With a friend.”

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had this idea stuck in my head since I first heard Rhona suggest a skills-based auction a week ago. I’d initially toyed with Robert and Aaron having to bid on each other, but I love the moments when they’re just with each other best, and I prefer writing them finding their way back to each other (at least for now). I may still write that other idea if I find the time.
> 
> I’m not sure why they randomly start flirting about halfway through only that the writing led me there and I just decided to go with it. Apologies for mentioning Rebecca and Seb, I know they’re not everyone’s thing, but I felt it would be true to Rob and Aaron’s interactions lately to include that. That said, I hope I got the voices and the tone and everything else right. 
> 
> As always, if you have any other thoughts, comments, questions, or concerns, leave me a comment down below or find me on tumblr under rustandruin.


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